10 Business Lessons to Learn from Major League Baseball

Baseball is a Business Marathon

Whether you are a fan or not, Major League Baseball is an incredible institution that can teach us a lot about the power of focus, work ethic, and teamwork. Stretching for most of the year, the baseball season is full of gains and losses and the rise and fall of great players. It is an endurance marathon for both athlete and team. Business success stories created by utilizing the same guiding principles that many MLB players follow. Here are 10 successful business lessons that baseball teaches us every game and every season[1].

10 Business Lessons

Lesson 1: Pace Yourself

Most baseball players want to win at every corner. Whether hitting a home run, driving in a teammate to score, or pitching a strike to shutdown the other team, baseball players will do everything they can to progress and beat the odds. However, everyone is bound to make mistakes. Sometimes attempting to hit a home run is a silly move when a simple hit could drive in the winning run. Although you want to make a huge sale every time, you may not have the opportunity to and you may even deliver a poor message losing the sale. Keep your goal in mind, but make the right decisions even if they don't land a home run.

Lesson 2: Don't Give Up

It's hard for a baseball team to come back in the 9th inning down 4 runs. There are many times that a team has given up after a punishing 2nd inning, then face an upward battle for the rest of the game. What would the turnout be if they had pushed harder? Winning is always a possibility, but not when you give up. If you've lost a project or a sale, don't give up! Many opportunities will not play out easily, so you need to find ways to win and turn those leads into a business success story!

Lesson 3: You Have to Do the Work

If an MLB player doesn't swing the bat, he's not going to get a hit or a home run. You can't get walked every time you are up to bat. Luck only helps so much! Many baseball players have great batting records and score percentages because they worked hard to know when to swing the bat. You will be a successful business owner unless you put the work in! The more you know about your field, the better your success rate.

Lesson 4: Move Past the Naysayers!

Baseball Stadiums are full of intoxicated hecklers! Let's face it, baseball fans can be very tough on the baseball players. If you've run into a difficult customer, remember to brush off any negativity, find a way to satisfy that customer and move on! Use that situation to avoid future pitfall customers.

Lesson 5: Seek Advice, Seek Help

There is nothing wrong with finding a successful person to recommend and teach you on how to better your business practices. Finding a great coach, like many baseball teams, can make all the difference and inspire you to make better choices.

Lesson 6: When You Lose, You Really Lose

Losing is tough and it can even be tougher to come back from a loss. Many baseball teams will fall into a slump, losing game after game. They put in a lot of effort, only to fall short each game. It's difficult to pick up the pieces and move forward. If you've ever worked extremely hard and then had your work product rejected or couldn't achieve a sale, the feeling of failure can be even worse because of the amount of effort your put in. The only way forward is to try again!

Lesson 7: Do What You Love and Succeed

The most successful baseball athletes are typically the players that invest the most time, effort, and ultimately love for the game that they play. The knowledge and commitment of the game propels them to achieve more than a player that is there for a paycheck. If you love what you are working for, there is a better chance that you will be more successful with your business strategy.

Lesson 8: Know Your Product; Know What Sells

In the Major Leagues, there is a statistic for everything! The stats of a player can decide whether that player will bat against a left-handed pitcher. If he can't hit a slider, then he will definitely not bat against a pitcher who throws mostly sliders! If you have a product that does not sell, it's time to measure whether or not to keep trying to sell that product. Or adjust and find a new way to sell that product.

Lesson 9: Business Slumps Happen

Batting slumps are common. Even the best hitters can run into a slump from time to time. What sets them apart from other players is their ability to persevere and rise above their slump! If you're in a business slump, you might need to do something else. Find another avenue to find business leads, or product another product to get you out of the slump.

Lesson 10: Success is built with a Successful Team

A successful baseball team is built with the efforts from the manager, coach, coaching staff, field crew, business execs - all the way down to the support staff that maintains the stadium. All components make up the team and without one group, the rest will not be able to focus and succeed. Your business staff is crucial to your business success. Provide them with support, guidance, and good leadership and you'll succeed faster!